Choices
by LadyScot
Summary: Sagan never wanted to turn Daimon. One split second decision changed her life. Treig had walked the centuries alone, killing Daimons indiscriminately, until one night his perception changed forever. TreigxSagan Dark-HunterxDaimon Sherrilyn Kenyon's world


**This idea has been running rampant in my mind for a few weeks, and I have been trying to get a "beginning" started. I know what is going to happen, and how, and when, but the opening has been tough to write.**

**For the sake of this story, Treig is Kieran MacAllister. He also is currently based in New Orleans. I don't have the DH Companion, so I am making him live by my rules.**

**The Apollite Sagan is an original character, who is a member of the Pollux "clan". They swear an oath to die on their 27th birthday as decreed by Apollo, and not to turn Daimon.**

**After circumstances cause her to turn, however, she becomes an Agkelos Daimon. The Agkelos feed only on the foulest and most evil of humans, and resist taking an innocent's soul.**

**I don't know if it is canon that Apollites can read minds, or if they can just sense someone's evil. For this story, I am giving Sagan the ability to "see through" the criminal's eyes.**

**Sherrilyn Kenyon owns all canon characters. I am only playing with them. This is obviously AU.**

Choices

The oath was made long ago, and not one to be taken lightly. Facing your own demise by a curse from a long dead ancestor is a bitter pill to swallow. To be destined to live a minute number of years, only to crumble away to nothing in the most horrible and painful fashion is less than fair.

Still, the alternative was much worse than mere death. At least death is final, and a brave Apollite can face the end with dignity, and perhaps some measure of trepidation. But still, to become less than human, much less, was not an option. At least not for the Pollux.

The taking of a human soul was abominable in many ways. Not the least of which the fact that humans had done nothing to deserve such a death at the hands of their people. The blame lie entirely with Apollo. Men. They never learn to think before they act. One act of rage cursed his entire line, descendant by descendant.

But humans, humans were innocent in this regard. Their ignorance of other forms of life in their midst was charming to some degree. To live life with blinders on, never seeing true evil, never having that very real fear, was a blessing.

Sagan reflected on the years of her life as she walked the streets of New Orleans for what would be the last time. Since her turning, she had migrated to the southern states, seeking a place to fit in. It seemed she was set on the path to roam when she finally got to this place.

NOLA was freedom in it's purest form. So many different people, so much diversity that you could meet a hundred people and they all would have a different view on a single topic. It was wonderful, and she had loved each minute of her residence.

The night life continued on into the morning, and the clubs! There were so many to choose from. Jazz to piano bars, rock and roll to hip hop, classical to mainstream. There was always something to do in the Quarter. Festivals and markets, parades and shows. Yes, she would miss this state. Would miss her home.

Much damage had been done during Hurricane Katrina, and yet the people continued on. They rebuilt homes and businesses, cleaned up debris and trash. Neighbors help neighbors. Enemy helped enemy, friend helped friend.

Sagan smiled at the progress that had been made to recover from the disaster, and how proud she was that for a time, the people had rallied together for a common cause. There were problems, sure, but for the most part, there was still good in human.

Her musing was interrupted at that moment as a muffled noise caught her attention. Surely she hadn't heard right. It sounded like a woman screaming. She paused for a few seconds, straining to catch the sound again. When nothing came, she ruefully shook her head and continued on. Her imagination was running rampant.

The darkness of the city served to magnify normal sounds, making them more ominous than they really were. It was easy to get spooked along the darkened roads in the silence of the night. As she turned the corner to continue on her way, she stopped again, sure this time she had heard something that didn't belong. She cocked her head, waiting to see if the noise came again.

There it was. Someone was crying, and the sound was close by. The cries sounded as if it were being muffled somehow. A hand over the mouth maybe? She walked carefully, quietly following the sound so as not to give her presence away. As she neared the alleyway, she could hear the sounds more clearly. She peered around the corner, and could not hold in the gasp that escaped her lips.

There was a man in front of her, bending over a much smaller person. A little girl, no more than five or six years in age. His large fist was hitting the child in the face, as his other hand held her down. Angry filth spewed from his mouth as he beat the child.

The little girl's body was nearly nude. The only clothing that covered her was her underwear and socks. Her shirt and pants had been ripped off and tossed aside, landing in a scattered heap near the wall of the building.

Sagan stood in shock, as she tried to process what she was seeing. She knew there were dangerous and evil people in the world, but she had yet to experience it herself. The sight before her was the most frightening and disgusting thing she had ever witnessed.

The child's pitiful cries and begging for the man to stop hurting her finally penetrated her stunned mind and she reacted without thought to her own safety. She rounded on the man and screamed at him, her fists balled at her sides. She could not remember ever being so furious.

"What do you think you are doing!?" she asked angrily.

The man whipped around as her voice shattered his concentration. He raked his eyes over her with a sneer on his face as he released the child so suddenly that she dropped onto the ground, whimpering and curling herself into a fetal position.

"What's it to you, bitch?" he asked, stepping menacingly toward Sagan, counting on his size to intimidate her. He moved closer, as she backed up a step. She flicked her eyes toward the little girl for a moment, relieved to see the small chest move, proving she still lived.

She turned her attention back to the creep in front of her. Realizing that she needed to help the child as quickly as possible, she told the man that she had called the police when she heard the screaming. She hoped he would take the hint and leave, however it was not to be.

He laughed, reaching out his hand to grab her. He would give her a taste of what he gave the girl, he said. Then he would dispose of them both.

Sagan back up, and locked eyes with him. The effect was immediate, and only lasted a few seconds. The man was immobilized as she viewed his thoughts and saw his past crimes. He had a fondness for rape and murder, and most of his victims were small children. He used the child's innocence to persuade them to go with him. Once they were in his grasp, he took them to a vacant and dark location to violate them. Most of his victims had been either thrown into the swamps or discarded like trash into dumpsters and fields.

Babies, Sagan thought to herself. Mere babies, and he revels in their pain and suffering. So many mother's losing children to this monster's sick fantasies. So many tiny lives shattered and taken by this man. And his wicked thought reached her an instant before she acted. She and the child were to be his next victims.

"Never again will you harm a child." she hissed.

The man had no chance to defend himself before Sagan grasped him by the throat. His head whipped to the side, baring his jugular. She swiftly lowered her fangs to his vein, and bit down. She held on as all of his anger, perversions, and memories of butchering and raping children passed into her through his soul.

The sheer force of his perverse nature flooded her senses. It was as if she were being filled with all of the pain and suffering he had inflicted on others his entire life. Her knees weakened at the onslaught. Releasing him viciously, she sunk to the concrete onto her knees.

Her breathing was labored as she tried to bring herself under control. The whimpering of the little girl brought her back to her senses. Sagan crawled over to her, and gently lifted the child into her arms. She scooted backwards, placing her back to the wall. Holding the child close, Sagan leaned back, closing her eyes as she rocked the child. She needed a moment's rest.

Across the street, a tall Scot had watched as the red haired woman confronted the man child killer. He had been patrolling the area when he had heard the child's cries for help, and had followed the sounds. He had noticed something odd about the woman when he had first spotted her walking in the same direction he was going. He decided to follow her in case she was an accomplice to whatever was going on. When he saw her confront the man who had been hurting the little girl, he began to run toward them intending to protect both the woman and the child.

When he saw her go still, her eyes never breaking their contact with the man's he cursed. He was near enough that he could hear her tell him he would never again hurt another innocent. He watched as she bent over her victim and took his soul.

He stopped in the street as she fell to her knees, and after a moment's pause, crawl over to the little girl. After carefully listing the child into her arms, the woman had backed herself up against the wall, and closed her eyes, holding the little girl protectively against her chest. Tears began to fall over her cheeks, and he could hear the woman's soft voice speaking.

"It's ok now. You're ok. The bad man is gone. You'll be alright."

Knowing he had witnessed an Apollite's turning, and knowing the child needed help, and also being very aware that this was a very different situation than he normally faced when dealing with Daimons, Treig flipped open his cell phone and dialed Ash's number.

He gave a brief description of the situation, as his eyes never left the woman and child. Ash gave him a very specific order.

"Don't approach them. I will be right there."


End file.
